Three 2 imp matches

In the last couple of months we have played three matches, all of which ended with 2 imp margins. We were on the right side of the results in the County KO and the NICKO, but our luck ran out in the Faulkner Salver against Warner Solomon's team. Here are three boards that could have changed the result.

This was a bad hand for the strong no trump, where we had a big loss without doing too much wrong.

West led a spade which I ran to the queen. Now what? I cashed a top club and tried a heart to the king but this lost to East's ace and the spades were cleared. A club finesse lost and the defence cashed out in the majors for -1100. The winning line is not very obvious except at double dummy - to duck a club at trick 2 . West is likely to return a spade, in which case I can end-play East in the red suits to get out for one down - and a flat board, as South's 1NT opening was passed out in the other room, going two down after a misdefence.

This was another expensive board where the swing might have gone the other way. The auction at our table was

East kicked off with a spade lead. Declarer ran the 10 of trumps successfully (West made a mistake by not covering), played another trump to the queen and ace, and led a diamond up. This was the key point of the hand - East can defeat the contract by ducking this trick but he went in with the ace. Declarer should now unblock dummy's king, but this play was also missed and declarer eventually lost control and went three down.

It's a difficult hand but the double is a clear warning of a bad trump break. In hands like this, when you have a side suit to develop and an awkward trump position, it is usually right to set up the side suit before tackling trumps. Declarer might played the king of diamonds at trick 2, and should certainly have played on diamonds after West had ducked the first round of trumps.

At the other table South declared 4♥ undoubled. West started with the strange lead of a small trump and the contract made. On a black suit lead, and with no indication of the bad trump split, declarer would probably have started with trumps and gone down.

This is another hand where we could have done better.

We were both a bit feeble in the bidding. Ann should have bid 4♥ at her second turn, after which we would bid 4NT - 5♥ - 5NT - 7♣. Simples. And I should have made a try with 5♥ instead of 6♣, then Ann will bid 5♠ and I can bid the grand.

On this layout the grand is defeated by a first round diamond ruff, which the defence would surely have found if East was able to make a Lightner double. But maybe his partner would have sacrificed before he had the chance.

Ann led a top diamond against 6♥ doubled. Declarer ruffed, played a trump to the queen to get the bad news and led the queen of spades. Ann won this and played a club to my queen and I continued with another club. Declarer ruffed this and played a spade to the ten, so that I could only make my three trump tricks for down four.

After I won the first club, I should have played a diamond to force dummy. Declarer does best to ruff a club in hand and take a spade finesse, but I can duck this and ruff the third round of spades. This kills the spade suit and declarer must go at least five down.

This hand is another example of the need to set up a side suit before drawing trumps. If declarer plays a spade to the queen at trick 2, he can always escape for four down against any defence.

We gained 4 imp as Roger and Warner somehow stopped in game at the other table, but it should have been a lot more.

Tollemache 2015

The draw for the Tolly put us in a tough group with no weak teams, suggesting that we would have a struggle to avoid the wooden spoon. So it proved, although we did manage two wins and a draw, and an honourable narrow defeat to the strong London team, and finished above East Wales to keep off the bottom of the table.

Here are a couple of lively deals from the match against Leicestershire.

When South bid 5♥ we were in a forcing pass position, so I doubled as my hand seemed more use for defence than offence. I was a bit worried when dummy went down, but fortunately declarer played for the drop in trumps and we were +100.

Not that it did us much good. At Table 2, with Dorset North-South, the auction started in the same way but they let the opponents play 4♠. After a heart lead, declarer played trumps and North took the first round.  Now declarer can keep control by discarding a club on the next heart, and ruffing in dummy if the defence continue hearts.  North can thwart this plan by ducking the first two rounds of trumps and forcing declarer in hearts - now declarer will lose control and go several down.

At the other table where Dorset sat North-South, East chose to bid 5♦ on the first round, which North doubled. On a good day South might have bid 5♥, as the double is likely to be based on top cards rather than trump tricks, but he chose to pass and that was -550 when the defence failed to find the spade ruff.

At the fourth table the Dorset East-West chose to bid 5♠ over 5♥, going one down. That all added up to a 41 imp loss on the cross-imp scoring (4 comparisons) used in the Tolly.

Then I held this collection at love all

                   ♠ Q5   ♥ Q8    ♦ AKJ543    ♣ J65

A Multi 2♦ was opened on my right and I chose to pass. I thought that a direct 3♦ would show a stronger hand and I could show this hand by passing and bidding 3♦ on the next round. On reflection, I think that's a rather pessimistic view of the hand. Anyway, this was followed by 2♠ on my left, 3♣ from partner and a pass on my right. Now what?

The pass on my right should show that the Multi was based on a weak two in spades, so maybe 3♠ is best, as long as partner is on the same wavelength. But I recall reading somebody's tip that Qx is a good holding for declarer in no-trumps, and it didn't look as if the opponents had a big fit in either major. So I gambled 3NT, a little concerned that I might be about to look foolish as they cashed the first six or seven tricks. I didn't get to find out, as leftie was still there and bid 4♥ which I doubled. 

It looks as if declarer can restrict his trump losers to one by crossing to dummy in clubs and leading a trump, getting out for two down.  But the defence can set up a trump promotion for three down. Ann led a diamond and I won the first two tricks. Now I should play a spade, then when declarer plays a trump to Ann's king, she can play a third round of spades which I ruff with the queen and promote a trick for the 9.

Unfortunately I messed this up and we only got +300, although this was enough to win the board as the opponents with our hands made 3♦ for +110 and defended 3♠ for +50.

Meanwhile, 3NT from my hand was cold on any lead and making an overtrick on the likely major suit lead. And the man who said that Qx is a good holding for declarer in no-trumps was certainly right on this hand, for at several tables 3NT by East went four down on a heart lead.

Almost a suicide squeeze

In the first round Gold Cup match we were behind for the first 24 boards, but just managed to turn the match around in the last set. Two consecutive boards in the last set provided interesting declarer play problems with a common theme.

West dealt and opened 2♥ which showed 5-9 HCP with at least 5-4 in the majors. A reasonable auction now would be double (take-out), 3♣ (about 8+ playing Lebensohl), 3♠ (showing a stopper in spades but not in hearts), 3NT. Or North might bid 2NT at her first turn. It didn't quite go like that, but I still ended as declarer in 3NT.

West led the ♥Q, which I won and tried a diamond to the queen. That lost to the king and a heart came back. When I played a diamond to the ace, West completed a peter to show an even number, so it didn't look as if the diamonds were breaking and the club finesse was not a good prospect after the bidding. So I exited with a heart to West.

At the table West cashed all her heart winners. I threw spades from dummy and a club and two spades from my hand. East could spare a spade and a club, but now two top spades squeezed East in the minors. It was almost a suicide or cannibal squeeze http://www.bridgeguys.com/squeeze/suicide_squeeze.html, but not quite as East is only squeezed later when I play the spades. If West hadn't taken her heart winners, I could have cashed the top spades and played two more rounds of diamonds to force East to lead away from the ♣Q.

I was hopeful of a swing but it turned out to be a flat board. At the other table West passed and North-South bid 1♠ - 2♣ - 3NT. A diamond lead didn't trouble declarer...

This was the next board

2♠ was weak with 5 spades and a minor. The defence started with two rounds of diamonds. I drew trumps and led a low club off dummy, hoping to find East with a singleton or doubleton ace. My king lost to the ace and a spade was returned, but with clubs breaking 3-2 I had a choice of endplays. I could either lead a club from hand and cover West's 4 with the 7, forcing East to lead a spade from the queen or cash a second spade and play the queen and another club, forcing West to give a ruff and discard. That was worth 10 imps when the opponents stopped in 3♥.

The link between these hands was a weak 2-suited opening providing a road map of the defenders' distribution. Without that information, I would almost certainly have gone down on both hands. On the first hand I would have tested for 3-3 diamonds and tried a club finesse, and on the second hand I would have played three rounds of clubs and hoped that the hand with three clubs also held the ♠Q.